Livin' the Dream in Lima

It's that time again... time to start (seriously) training. With an actual training plan, not the go-out-and-run-whatever-you-want training plan. Fall racing season is just around the corner, and I'm looking forward to some PR's. I've got a few summer 5k's left, and then some longer races in the fall. I decided NOT to run a full marathon this fall, and focus on speed in the half-marathon. I really want to break 1:30 for the half distance, which is definitely possible. (My PR is 1:30:14.)  Here's my schedule. (So far.) July 28 - SIDS Prevention 5km August 4 - Square Fair 5km September 15 - Pumpkin Fest 10km October 6 - Hands for Haiti Half-marathon                                       or   October 7 - Octoberfest 10km October 21 - Columbus Half Marathon (GOAL RACE - sub 1:30) November 9-10 - RAGNAR Relay Tennessee After consulting my BFF Jack Daniels, I...

Yes, that's right. Strawberries + balsamic + bacon on pizza? Don't knock it until you try it. I have prepared this pizza no less than 5 times this summer, with full intentions of photographing it and blogging about it. Every  time, we would be about halfway through the pizza when I would remembered "Gah! I was gonna take pictures! Oh well, it's too delicious... next time!" I don't know where the self-control came from, but this week I managed to get a few pictures before devouring our new favorite pie. What makes this pizza so delish? All the different flavors - the tangy sauce, sweet strawberries, salty bacon, fresh cilantro. It's seriously phenomenal.  The sauce starts with some reduced balsamic vinegar. Cook it over medium heat until it is reduced by half, and becomes thick and almost syrupy. Just poured into the pan... Reduced & ready to go! Then, mix it up with some strawberry jam and a bit of sriracha chili sauce. A little ...

I've been seeing some "Day in the Life" posts float around the interwebs and thought it'd be fun to partake. Here's how I spent my summer Tuesday. 6am - Alarm goes off so I can run early to 'beat the heat.' But... since I'm not meeting anyone to run, I immediately roll over and go back to sleep. 7:30am  - I wake up for real, and make my way downstairs. I cook a gourmet breakfast for my Business Man (a bowl of microwaved instant oatmeal, so gourmet) and make myself a mug of iced coffee. Yum. After getting my own breakfast, I plop myself on the couch to watch the Today show. 9am  - After spending an hour and a half in front of the TV and 'blogging', I decide I should do something productive. So I attempt to get started on some lesson planning and how to implement the common core standards for next year. Gross. 10:15am  - Enough of that school stuff. I decide I should go to the gym and get my run on with Kathie Lee & Hoda. (Even ...

The last 8 days have been busy .  2 out-of-town weddings + 2 rehearsals  + 2 rehearsal dinners + mid-week 4th of July party = exhausted Sara. Yesterday I took a day to completely recoop and I feel much  better. Nothing an afternoon by the pool can't cure! So... rewind to our first wedding weekend. My Business Man's college roommate got married up on a beautiful lake in Michigan. It was so much fun to reunite and spend some time with his friends from college, who have become my friends as well. Love our friends' weekends!  Love these 'ribbon dancers' we used for the send-off! The wedding was gorgeous - the bride's attention to detail was insane! The place settings, the favors, the cake.  Beautiful tables Loved the linens They had homemade strawberry jam for favors. Isn't this display the cutest? (I may have snagged 4 jars...) My Business Man & I even got to take a little boat ride during the cocktail hour. Firs...

Yesterday was the 4th of July. You were probably aware of that, due to the numerous photo uploads of fireworks on facebook, instagram, and other social media platforms. You probably were also aware that it was HOT. (At least in the Midwest.) We had a great day. It started out with a run, some baking happened during the middle, and we finished off by celebrating with friends. Starting with the run... it wasn't just any  run - it was the Freedom 5km !  This was my 'A' race of the summer, so I was hoping to PR and run sub-18:50. But... did I mention it was hot yesterday? As in, 85*F and full sun at the 9am start? Yea. Great  for racing. The start Anyway, I set out to run my best despite the heat. My plan was to run 6:00 miles for as long as I could. I warmed up with a 2-mile jog, some plyos & striders, and then we were ready to go! The first mile was not too bad, just got into the groove. 5:50  split. [ Side note : that might be my fastest first mile, ...